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The main impetus for the accelerated interest in solar electricity has been the California Energy Commission's rebate program. They offer rebates of $4.00 per watt for homes and $4.50 per watt for businesses (approximately 50% of the total installed cost of solar electric systems).

Using Solar Energy In California

The main impetus for the accelerated interest in solar
electricity has been the California Energy Commission's rebate program. They
offer rebates of $4.00 per watt for homes and $4.50 per watt for businesses
(approximately 50% of the total installed cost of solar electric systems).

magine powering your house entirely from the sun, using the
existing grid to store your excess electricity, zeroing out your SDG&E bill,
as well as protecting the environment from harmful bi-products of conventionally
manufactured electricity. That is exactly what Dr. James Rickard, a PhD
astrophysicist and founder of Borrego Solar Systems, and his wife Grace did in
1980.

At that time almost all photovoltaic (solar electric) systems
were sold to supply off-the-grid applications. The Rickards, who lived across
the street from the nearest power line, chose to demonstrate the ability to
produce their own electricity from an inexhaustible, abundant, free fuel source,
THE SUN!

Today urban homes and businesses alike that are connected to
the grid are choosing to guiltlessly pay less for already available solar
energy, without the need for batteries. People are making sound residential and
commercial investments in the sun, receiving higher tax-free returns than
alternative investment possibilities.

"It is so wonderful to have my entire house powered with
solar electricity," enthuses Dr. Melinda Nevins, D.O. of the Del Mar
Medical Clinic who had an eight-kilowatt ground mount system installed for her
home. "Even if it didn't pay for itself so quickly with the Rebate program,
I would have gone solar just to preserve the environment," Dr. Nevins
asserts.

"Watching that meter spin backwards is the best,"
exclaims Kurt Kersten, a Fountain Valley homeowner who hired Borrego Solar
Systems to install his 3.7-kilowatt system last September. "I really do
feel like I am part of the solution."

"Solar energy has finally come out of the woods and into
the suburbs," notes Dr. Rickard with a chuckle. "We were just 20 years
ahead of the curve."

Due to the California Energy Crisis, there is a more pressing
need for energy independence--which has renewed interest in solar electricity.
Californians welcome an additional 15% state tax credit for their solar
investments; in addition, businesses are eligible for an extra 10% federal tax
credit and accelerated depreciation-which can help business owners afford to
stay in California.

"Every month I have to pay an electric bill to run my
office. Now I don't pay SDG&E anything; instead, I make a monthly payment
for my solar system," remarks Fern Platt, office manager for Lake Murray
San Carlos Optometric Center. "By taking advantage of the incentives and
tax credits, along with the accelerated capital depreciation, my monthly solar
payments are far below my previous monthly electric bills." Platt adds,
" It just makes good business sense. The solar system will completely pay
for itself in less than four years. Plus, it helps the environment."

Utilities produce electricity by burning fossil fuels, thus
producing carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. Even the smallest system
Borrego Solar has installed will replace the equivalent of one metric ton of
coal, or 200 gallons of oil, or 30,000 cubic feet of natural gas each year. For
example, a 1.2 kW system will prevent over 4,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from
entering the atmosphere annually. We could achieve the same effect by planting
10 mature trees every year for the next three decades.

Borrego Solar Systems' company mission statement is "To
become a renewable energy leader by providing quality installations and
long-term service." Borrego Solar has always been highly regarded as an
honest and fair-priced provider of equipment, installation and service. The
company is a member of the solar energy industry association (CalSEIA), the
Better Business Bureau, and Chambers of Commerce of East San Diego County and
Borrego Springs.

During 2002 Borrego Solar Systems installed 25 systems - a
total of 800 photovoltaic panels with an electric generation capacity of 85
kilowatts - and its experienced project managers helped install the largest
solar carport in the world for the Navy. 2003 sales are projected to grow by
greater than 100%.

The main impetus for the accelerated interest in solar
electricity has been the California Energy Commission's rebate program. They
offer rebates of $4.00 per watt for homes and $4.50 per watt for businesses
(approximately 50% of the total installed cost of solar electric systems).

Borrego Solar now services most of California.
They can be contacted at (619) 697-7183, or at www.borregosolar.com.

The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag

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